USE OF OVERPRESSURED LAYER CHROMATOGRAPHY AND COUPLED OPLC-GC-MS FOR THE ANALYSIS OF ACETYLENIC THIOPHENE DERIVATIVES IN EXTRACTS OF TAGETE-PATULA

Acetylenic thiophene derivatives in extracts of flower, leaf, stalk, a nd root of Tagete patula have been separated by overpressured layer ch romatography (OPLC) on silica gel plates using n-hexane - ethyl acetat e (98 + 2, v/v) as mobile phase. The possibility of coupling this plan ar technique with capillary gas chromatography was explored. Some thio phene derivatives, e.g. 5-(3-buten-1-inyl)-2,2'-bithienyl (BBT), 4(ace toxy-1-butenyl)-2,2'-bithienyl (BBTOAc), and 2,2':5,2''-terthienyl (Al fa-T) were identified by GC-MS.